The African Queen review

 Number 348 on the top 1000 films of all time is John Huston's 1951 adventure film 'The African Queen.

Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) is the alcoholic captain of the steamboat: 'The African Queen' who delivers mail and supplies to a Methodist mission in 1914 German East Africa. The mission is manned by brother and sister Samuel (Robert Morley) and Rosemary (Katherine Hepburn.) When WW1 breaks out, German colonial troops conscript the African natives and kill Samuel in the chaos. Rosemary urges Charlie to use the African Queen to attack a German gunship.

If you think this film sounds similar to the iconic 1942 Casablanca, you would be right. Both films star Humphrey Bogart as an alcoholic rogue who only looks out for himself. This is despite the protests of the attractive female lead urging him to take a side in the wider-world conflict. Swap Morocco for Tanzania and Ingrid Bergman for Katherine Hepburn and you basically have the same film.

However, the biggest similarity is that The African Queen is just as good and iconic, if not more, than Casablanca. A lot of this comes down to the chemistry between Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. It is undeniable that both of them were titans of the acting industry - it's difficult to think of two actors more emblematic of the Golden Age of Hollywood. They were brilliant together. Unlike other female leads, like Ingrid Bergman, who disliked Bogart, and Audrey Hepburn, who was disliked by Bogart, Katherine Hepburn was every bit his equal. 

Katherine Hepburn was well-known for her fiery, outspoken demeanour which made her the perfect match for the cynical Charlie Allnut. She brought a great firecracker energy to her role as Rosemary Sayer, but also portrayed a soft, sensitive side for when her brother was killed. Yet she is also persuasive enough to convince the old, gnarled cinnamon-bun Allnut to jump down from the fence and pick a side. The two of them soon develop a romance. And, unlike other films, I could totally believe the two characters being together.

True, I'm not sure how much Hepburn got on with Bogart off-set - reportedly, she made a point about only drinking water after being appalled at seeing how much whisky old Bogey and director John Huston were drinking, but the two of them were great on-screen. Bogart earned his only Oscar for this performance, but I would argue that Hepburn truly earned her Oscar nomination as well. 

The African Queen was mainly filmed in Uganda or, what was, the Belgian Congo, and it looked brilliant. The cinematography was great. John Huston made a terrific film that blended humour, tragedy and important ideas about standing up and fighting for what was right. It also didn't hurt that you had the excellent pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn.

Breakfast at Tiffany's review

 Number 490 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1961 romantic-comedy 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.'

Based on Truman Capote's novella of the same name, Breakfast at Tiffany's follows the free-spirited Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn.) She is a vibrant and independent socialise who falls in love with her neighbour - the struggling writer Paul Varjack (George Peppard.)

Firstly, let's address the Mickey Rooney shaped elephant in the room. He plays Holly's landlord Mr Yunioshi. For this role, Rooney wore prosthetics to look Japanese. This received both historical and contemporary criticism for being a racist characterisation of the Japanese, and East-Asians in general. As someone with East Asian heritage, I didn't find this offensive so much as I found it annoying. 

In fact, if there was an Oscar for most irritating performance ever Mickey Rooney would have surely won. Mr Yunioshi was a one-dimensional, terrible character. Rooney seemed to spend all his time shouting at the top of his voice in an accent that quickly grated on me. I think he was supposed to be some type of comic relief, but there was nothing funny about his performance.

If anything, I was more grossed-out at the revelation that Holly was only fourteen when she married her first husband Doc Golightly (Buddy Ebsen.) She is only nineteen in the film. And this is something that the film completely glosses over. But then again this was the sixties, long before political correctness ever became a thing. 

That notwithstanding, I did enjoy Breakfast at Tiffany's. It was a wonderfully subtle film with plenty of laughs and a charming performance from Hepburn. She imbued the ditzy Golightly with enough charisma to make her a thoroughly likeable character. 

Director Blake Edwards also allowed for plenty of improvisation which helped the comedy to thrive. For the famous party scene, he let the champagne and food flow freely meaning, gave the cast little direction, permitting them to produce some authentic and hilarious moments.

Breakfast at Tiffany's is also well-known for its signature song 'Moon River.' Written specifically for Audrey Hepburn's limited range, it was the perfect accompaniment for the film. Suitably romantic and understated, it went onto rightly win the Oscar for the Best Original song. When a studio executive suggested it be cut in the film, Audrey Hepburn shot back with "over my dead body." If it wasn't for her strong convictions, we would have been robbed this gentle song.

The Mickey Rooney yellowface controversy aside, I did very much enjoy Breakfast at Tiffany's.